38.5 weeks

At my doctor appointment last Thursday I was dilated to a solid 2, 75% effaced, baby's head is at a -1 station. Heart beat is still good, and my uterus is measuring appropriately. Other than my puffy and tingly hands and not sleeping well, I have been feeling great. I have occasional contractions, but nothing worth timing yet. My doctor says I have a very healthy baby inside, and I am right on track! And still no stretch marks! Thank goodness for cocoa butter.
Cam and I are totally ready to meet this little pumpkin! The car seats are in place, the baby's room is complete, baby clothes have been washed, and the dogs have been prepped. So now we wait.
Cam took this picture today, but I think I look less pregnant than I did in the last picture!

Timber!!

This pregnancy has been going so well so far, and something was bound to happen. And it happened Tuesday night. I was leaving a fantastic Improv class at the Camp Bar in St. Paul at about 8:45 pm. I said goodbye to my friends, turned around and WHAM! Landed flat on my belly. My knees and elbows hit also, although I'm not quite sure what my hands were doing. (NOT catching my fall, that's what they were doing!) Anyway, I gathered myself up and sat in my car for a while, crying hysterically. After talking to the Labor & Delivery nurse, it was decided that I should come in to have the baby be monitored for 4 hours. That seemed simple enough, but I was having contractions about every 2 minutes (some I could feel, some not), so they decided to keep me a full 24 hours to make sure that I wasn't going to have placenta abruptio, or that my water wasn't going to break from all the contractions, or that I wasn't going to go into labor. Nothing happened, so after exactly 24 hours, I was driving home. I received over 4 liters of IV fluids while I was there, in addition to getting my Group B Strep swab taken care of. It was nice to meet some of the nursing staff and get a lot of questions answered, and I am really relieved we didn't have our baby on Wednesday! I'm sure everything would have been fine if we did, but we still have some stuff to take care of at home, and I would just prefer to have a full-term baby! I feel completely guilty for falling, but it helps to have the loads of support and kind words from Cameron, my family, and my friends and coworkers. Apparently I am not the first one to go through such an event.
I had my routine 36 week checkup with by doctor Thursday morning. The baby's heart beat is about 135 (great), and my blood pressure is great (112/78). My cervix is dilated to 1cm. Her head is down, but not engaged at all. My entire body is swollen from the 4 liters of fluids I received during the hospital stay, but I'm supposed to keep drinking a lot of water to keep the contractions at bay. Go figure.
I survived my 3-11pm shift at work last night, and now I have 5 days off to really get organized! Here is a picture of me, the day before "The Fall."

Pregnant Brain

How could I forget to mention my very first baby shower? It was thrown by my delightful volleyball team, the Court Devils. Lisa hosted at her house in Rosemount on Friday evening. The massive amounts of foods and gifts were overwhelming! We had bacon wrapped dates, make-your-own sammies, bowls of fruits, hummus and chips, pretzels and Nutella (good idea Jake!), veggies and dip, salad, fun flavored waters, cake, and delicious homemade apple cider! I can't possibly list all the gifts, but some highlights were a Bumbo, a Boppy, and Sadie the giraffe! It was a wonderful time, and I miss playing VB every Thursday with these gals! For prosperity, I will list who attended: Lisa Q, Deena, Donna, Karla, Meg, Cortney, Cindy. Jeana couldn't make it but she sent a nice card (with a gift card inside!). Lance Q was on the property, but he was locked in his work shed in the backyard all night.
It was a wonderful evening and really started getting me excited to meet this Dahm baby!
Note to self regarding other showers: take pictures!!!

Sick, Sick, Sick.

That's right, folks. I'm sick. Now, being sick is one thing, but being sick in addition to being 30 weeks pregnant is an entirely different animal. I had been mildly uncomfortable lately with some back pain, hip pain, heartburn and swollen ankles. Add to that a harsh cough, an unbearable sore throat, ridiculous nasal congestion and pinkeye, and I'm a complete disaster. Bedtime is the worst. I used to look forward to lying down and hitting the sack, but no more. Maybe this is just a way for me to practice getting very little sleep? To prep I have my humidifier at my bedside, along with Mentholatum, Tums, tissues, water, chloraseptic spray, eye drops, Tylenol, Zantac, and about 7 pillows. Last night Cameron called the entire set-up "Mount Jean" and referred to me as "Goo-Berry." (My luck may be changing however, as the prenatal total body pillow I ordered will arrive this Monday instead of in February! Hooray!)
I really shouldn't complain too much though, as one gal I work with is 13 weeks along with severe nausea that just turned into projectile vomiting, and another gal at 18 weeks had an ecent ultrasound showing some "defects" that are possibly not viable with life. I am very lucky.
My OB appointment last week went well. I passed my 1-hour glucose test without problems. One hour after drinking a sugary drink, they want your blood sugar to be between 65 and 139. I was 67. My BP was 108/58, Pulse 68, Wt 165 lb. My weight is a little on the high side but my doctor was not concerned. Apparently the main problem with gaining weight during the pregnancy is the challenge of losing it afterwards. I hope I will be up for that challenge! I now have to see the doctor every 2 weeks which seems excessive to me, but what do I know?
I am feeling my little one move a LOT lately- so much so that multiple friends and family members have been able to get a feel too! Nothing delights me more than watching other people's reactions at feeling my little babe kick them!
I have more to write, but these coughing fits and lack of swallowing ability are driving me crazy. I'm out.